Brush cutting apparatus



Nov, 3, 1931. R, M, R w: 1,830,245

BRUSH CUTTING APPARATUS Filed March 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

ffMJKOWE A TTORNEY.

' Nov. 3, '1931.

R. M. ROWE BRUSH CUTT ING APPARATUS Filed March 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR.

K. M. Rowlf,

BY WW ATTORNEY.

Nov. 3, 1931. R. M. ROWE v BRUSH CUTTING APPARATUS Filed March 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

7 bolted or otherwiserigidlycattached to the ROY M. ROWE,"on WEN TCI-IEEQ'WASHINGTQN BRUs I ou'rrme APPARATUS p Application filed March 21,

part of thisspecification, and-inwhich like 7 numerals are employed to designate like parts "throughout the same, r I 1 Figurejl'is a plan'view of apparatus embody1ng myinvention, r y F gure 2s a sideel evation of thesarne,

Figure Sis acentral vertical longitudinal sectionthroughthe apparatus,

a Y Figure-.4, is a transverse section taken on line4 4"ofFigure1, N V r V Figure 5'is atransverse setcion' taken on 1 line 5-'--5,of Figure 3, and, i V I Figure (Sisal? but end elevation of the'apparatus.

In the drawings, "wherein for thefp urpos'e 5 ofji'llustration, is shown a preferred embodi shaft 31 is driven'by a bevel gear 33, engaging a bevel gear 34 rigidly mountedupon' a shaft extending longitudinally above the i ment of my invention, the numeral 10 designates a tractor as a whole, of any well known I or preferred type. This-tractor embodies the usual housing 11, constitutingthe'body portion ofthe same, and a radiatorfl2, v

The brush cutting apparatus-is preferably in the, natureof an attachment to beQap-' plied to the'tractor and such apparatus embodies a main frame including longitudinal 35 beams 13 and 14, which maybe formedlof "angle iron or the like..- The beam 14 is bent laterally or ofi'setla-terally at15j. fThe beams,- p H from its place of operation, the rake is raised and 14 are disposed upon opposite sides of the body portion of the tractor above the axle16 of the same and do not interfere with I the stecring operation of the front Wheels 17. At their rear ends, these beams 13 and 14 areprovided with lateralextensions 18," and are attach'ed-totheflanges 19' ofthe crank case-or housing 11 by'means ofthe bolts 20, j which serve to retain these flangesftogether. An inverted generally ll-shaped yoke 21 is 5 beams 13 and 14, near theirintermediate,por-

tions, as shown at 22,and this, yoke is adapted These gatheredbup brush or 1930. Serial No. 437,863.

to straddle and rest upon the radiator 12. The yoke 21 is provided in its top with an opening 22 for receiving the water'inletneck or tube 23 of the radiator.

Arranged at the forward end of the frame is 'a :rake 24, embodying tines 25, extending longitudinally of the direction of travel of the apparatusfand these tines are carried by a transverse back 26, which is p-ivotally mounte'tl upon thefforward ends of the beams13 and 14, any suitable means being employed toprevent the back 26 shiftingin a direction transversely of the beams 13 and 14;The

tines 25, in operation, are inclined forwardly from thir point'of support so thattheir take 'up'ends may travel in engagement with or in close relation to the ground;

- Means'a're provided to vertically adjust or raise the rake, including a crank 27, which isrigidly clamped to the back 26, and this crank is connected with a flexible element or cable 28, passing abouta pulley 29, and

wound upon a drum 30, carried by a shaft31.

This shaft is jour'naled in a bracket 32 rigidly attached to the top of the yoke 21. The

top of the tractor. The forward end of this lsha-ftis' journaled in a bearing 36 secured'to the top of 'the'yoke 21, and the rear end of the shaft 35' is j-ournaled in a bearing, 37, suittor. The shaft 35 is providedat its rear end 'with a crank 38 so that the same may be manually turned by the driver at the seat 39. When the apparatus is being moved to and so that it will not engage with the ground or obstructions, and it may also be necessary to raise or vertically adjust the rake during the operation of the apparatus, to avoid 010-, v structmnaand to accommodate the same to irregular ties in the surface of the ground.

'-ing theforward ends of the'beams 13 and 14, r and, angle irons 41, arranged above these beams, the angle irons and beams diverging Y ATE PAT ENT QFFI C ably attached to the rear portion of the tracforwardly. The rear ends of theangle irons 41 are bolted or, rigidly attached to the beams 13 and 14', as shown at 42. The feeding housing embodies a top 43 form-ed of sheet orplate metal, attached to the angle'irons 41, and sides 44, formed of sheet or plate metal, attached to the beams 18 and 14 and angle. irons 41. The feeding housing is v. 'closedupon its two sides and'top and tapers verticallyrearwardly but is straight hori zontally rearwardly. Y

Arrangedfwithin the feeding housing 40 are j upper and lower longitudinal rows or sets of feeding rolls and 46, having teeth 47. These upper and lower sets of feeding rolls are spaced and divergeforwardly, cor- I responding tothe shape of the feeding housing. The upperset of rolls 45 are'carried by shafts 48, journaled in the sides 44 or suitable bearings ,carried thereby. Sprocket wheels 49 are rigidly mounted upon the ends offthe shafts 48. The lower 'sets ofrolls 46 are carried by shafts; 50' journalsd in the beams 13 and 14,'orsuitable bearings formed,

sprocket wheel 53, suitably mounted upon the forward end of the beam,,13. The sprocket chain hasits lower runengaging the sprocket wheels 51, at their tops. The rear end of the sprocket chain 52 engages a sprocket wheel ga ed by the toothed rolls 45' ancl4 54, rigidly mounted upon a rotary cutter shaft 55.

tion and are driven clockwise,- Figure 2, and

. all of the rolls 50 in the lower set rotatein the same direction and are driven countervclockwise so that the two sets of rolls will 7 winder 61, so thatthey wlll be acted'upon engagewith the brush or branches and feed the same rearwardly through the rearwardly diverging or contracting space between the sets of rolls. By virtue of the rearwardly converging arrangement of the sets of feecing rolls, the brush or branches are properly engaged by the rolls to efiect the feeding,

V and the brush is compressed, to some extent,

table cutter, to be described.

J brush or branches whichwill pass rearwardly r it to the feeding housing.

and properly held in proximity to the rota- A' forwardly flaring gathering shield 56 is formed at th-e'forward or intake end of the feeding housing and embodies a top 57 and forwardly diverging sides 58, while the bottom of the gathering shield is open andis covered by the tines 25.

I shield is reinforced by a suitable framework 59.: The gathering shield extends for the;

This gathering entire width of the rake, and as the apparatus ismovedforwardly', the rake will collect the into the gathering shield, and be delivered by vertical slots 58, toreceive the outer tines25,

7 It is thus seen that all of the feed rolls in the upper set-rotate in the samedirec- The sides 58 have I so that the rake iupper andlower feeding, rolls is compressed to some extent, and delivered to the cylinder 60 to be acted upon by-the rotating blades 61 and stationary blade 62, the brush being finely cut or divided and discharged beneath the cylinder 60 upon the ground reserve as fertilizer or thelike. 1

The shaft is driven by a pulley 63, engaged by a belt 65, extending over guide pulleys 66., This belt extends re'arwardl'y and is 84 driven by a pulley 67, operated by the tractor," as is well known. I p

The operation of the, apparatus is as follows: w

v The apparatus is moved or driven by'the it tractor in a; forwardly direction overthe ground, upon which the cut brush or branches are strewn. The rake 24 gathers up the brush orbranches andthe forward movement of the apparatus'delivers the same into the gathering shield, which divergesrearwardly and in turn delivers the brush to the forward intake end of the feeding housing, The brush or branches within the feeding housing are enpo itively fed by them. 'rearwardly. The actionof. these rolls and the feeding'housing not'only'serves to positively feed the brush. or, branches but presses the same,

to a certain extent and suitably holds them; 1

in proximity, to the rotating cutting cylby thev rotary cutting blades and stationary cutting blade 62. The brush or serve as fertilizer. I r Itis to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is

to be'taken as a preferred example of 6116' 1 same, and that various changes in the shape,

size and arrangement of parts, maybe resorted towithout departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of theisubjoined claims. 7 v Y Having thus described invention, I

claim: f

v, 1. In apparatus for gathering up and cutting brush or branches, a feeding housing,

a rotary cutter arranged within the houslng, 1. spaced feeding devices-arranged within the housing in advanceof the rotary cutter, a forwardly flarlng. gathering shield connected withthe forward end the housing, and a rake connected with the forward end of the housing and extending across and forwardly I beyond theshield;

'2.'In apparatus for gathering up and cutting brush or branches, afeeding housing,

a rotary cutter arranged withinthe housing, spaced feeding devices arranged within the housing in advance of the rotary cutter-and converging 'rearwar dlytoward the same, a

forwardly flaring gathering shield arranged at the forwarde'nd of the housing, and a rake connected with the forward end. of thefhous ing and extending :across and forwardly beyond the shield.

- 3 In apparatus for gathering up cutting brush or branches, a feeding housing, cutting mechanism arranged withinthe housing, spaced feeding devices arranged within the housing in advance of'thecutting mechanism. andconverging rearwardly toward the sa1ne, "a rake arranged in advance of the housing and pivotally connected therewith to be vertically adjusted, and a 'fo rwardly flar inggatheringshield attached to the forward 7; end of the housing and extendingover sub stantially' the entire width of the rake.

43 In apparatus for gathering up and cutting brush or'branches, a frame comprising a pair of longitudinal beams to be" arranged upon the oppositesides of a tractor, means whereby the rear ends of the beams are attached to the tractor, ayokesecured to the intermediate portions of the beams andv exbrush or branches, comprising a wheeled frame, a rake secured to the forward end of the wheeled frame, a housing mounted upon the frame and extending forwardly over a V portion of the rake, a horizontal rotary cutting element mounted within thehousing the same to the rotary cutting element, vand theaction of the rotary cutting element aids in such feeding movement while serving to cut the brush or branches,

In testimony whereof I affix my si nature.

ROY M. R we tending over the radiator of the tractor said V yokehaving anopening in its top to receive the water inlet ne'ckof the radiator, thereby limiti-ng'the extent of movement of the yoke the brush or with relation to the radiator, a housing mounted. upon the forward portion of thebeams, cutting means arranged within the housing, and means to'gather up and feed g branch-es toand through they housing. w

a 5." Apparatus for gathering up and cutting brush, branches, or the like, comprising a wheeledframe, a feeding housing mounted upon the f framefa rotary cutting element mounted within the housing and having its axis of rotationextending transversely o'f'the direction of travel of the wheeled frame, a

cutting element, upp'er and'lower feeding devices mounted within the housing and con- ,verging rearwardly toward the rotary cutting element,meansto gather'up the brush in this feeding movement while Y 6. Apparatus forgathering up or branches and supply the same into the feeding housing between the feeding devices, and means to positively drive the rotary cutting element and thefeeding device's,the arrangement being such that the feeding devices compress the brushflor branches and feed the same to the'rotary cutting element,- andthe rotary cutting element serves toaid brush or branches.

' stationary bladefor co-action with the rotary cutting the and cutting 

